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Tactical Overview
Introduction Before moving on, it is important to keep in mind that there is no such thing as the "best" troop in the realm of Pendor. Each troop has their individual roles and purposes and if used wisely, they are extremely effective. Kingdom of Sarleon The Kingdom of Sarleon is the central power of Pendor. Their cities are situated at the very heart of Pendor, meaning that their borders reach many different kingdoms. The Heretics and Forest Bandits typically spawn within the kingdom's borders. It fields well-trained infantry and archers, and also has extremely strong cavalry in Pendor. Infantry':'' With well-fed commoners, Sarleon footmen are extremely strong soldiers that are well supplied by their lords with decent armor, heavy weapons and shields. Many of them are proficent with the use of the Sarleon Longsword and the feared Morningstar. The most elite troops are granted heavy mail and corrazina armor, and given the use of the extremely unwieldy halberd, which they use to cleave through the flesh and armor of anything that attempts to taint the splendor of the Sarleon kingdom. Sarleon's footmen are extremely easy to train, at least until the Man-At-Arms tier, where they will slowly progress on to the Halberdier tier. Given the wide amount of shields that their foot soldiers carry, they are usually able to survive several barrage of missles, with the exception of the halberdiers. The Armored Footmen and Man-At-Arms are decently armored individuals capable of taking down halted cavalry and engaging against other heavily armored infantry, and the use of their shields generally ensure their survival in their march towards a firing line. However, their wooden shields do shatter pretty easily, so players should ensure that these troops manuever themselves to engage the enemy archers as quickly as possible. The Halberdiers, on the other hand are completely vulnerable to archers, especially horse archers. One should keep them away from archers, either by hiding them behind shielded troops or hills, before sending them to engage their foes. The Halberdiers are the finest foot soldiers of Sarleon, and rightfully so. Their halberds can easily slice through armor and flesh. They can easily stop horses right in their tracks, before bearing the halberd for a finishing blow on the rider. Additionally, the halberdiers are surprisingly able to combat infantry, even in sieges. However, should an enemy get close to the halberdier, it usually spells disaster for them as they lack a short-range weapon to counter any attacks. To use Sarleon's footmen effectively, carry a mix of Man-At-Arms and Halberdiers to ensure optimal effectiveness against any threats. Using the shielded Man-At-Arms to combat enemy archers and infantry and the halberdiers to engage any opposing cavalry will usually ensure victory with very light losses. 'Archers':'' The archers of Sarleon make use of the longbow, a powerful and deadly bow that requires an experienced individual to maximize its effectiveness. Sarleon archers are extremely well trained soldiers in the art of archery. They make excellent siege defenders, due in large to the high damage output they can unleash with a single arrow. What they may lack in firing speed, they make up with raw power. Inexperienced archers use the short bow, while Sarleon Longbowmen and Armored Longbowmen use the longbows, a deadly and powerful tool of war that is extremely difficult to master. They carry standard heraldic kite shields and longswords. In a pinch, they do make decent melee fighters. However, they fare horribly against cavalry in melee, and thus require the halberdiers to defend them from that threat. ''Cavalry: Sarleon, without a doubt, fields the heaviest cavalry in Pendor. The Marleons Heavy Cavalry are decent horsemen that Duke Alfewine fields, equipped with morningstars and lances. Their Knights are extremely deadly, and the sight of one bearing down on a hapless foot soldier, with their morningstars raised is enough to cause just about anyone to flee in terror. They also use longswords, the two-handed silver claymores and lances to great effect. The only thing more fearsome than a Knight that Sarleon fields is a Knight of the Lion. They too, use morningstars, swords and lances to great effect. Each swing of their weapons can easily slaughter mid-tier troops and leave top-tier infantry on the brink of death. Their Knights make great siege defenders, and they aren't too shabby when it comes to assaulting a fortress. They especially excel in field battles, where they can take advantage of their mobility to decimate enemies with ease. Kingdom of Ravenstern The Ravenstern kingdom lies in the harsh mountains to the north of Pendor. Their kingdom has only two points of entrance, one of which is infested with Jatu and Mystmountain patrols and armies. Living under harsh conditions, Ravenstern citizens are hardy individuals who mine for iron and battle the Mystmountain barbarians regularly. It has effective foot and mounted archers and decent horsemen, infantry and knights. '''Infantry: Under the harsh climate of the mountains and facing the Mystmountain on a regular basis, Ravenstern men are extremely tough and strong-willed individuals. As an extra measure against the cold, most Ravenstern infantry wear some form of kilt with their armor. Trained with the use of axes and swords, Ravenstern footmen are lethal forces to be reckoned with. They also use shields regularly, and all the infantry unit from the Ravenstern Footmen are all supplied with shields from their commanders. Their armor are pretty decent, donning Cuir Bouilli, Surcoat over Mail and the Kierguard Plate. Overall, their infantry are pretty decent soldiers, with their Kierguards being extremely easy to train. Their choice of weapons allows them to shatter shields easily. However, they lack any substantial infantry support against calvary, with very few of the Man-At-Arms carrying polehammers. That being said, most of their infantry are well-shielded against ranged troops. Their Kierguards are reliable soldiers, although their fighting prowess cannot be compared to the Fierdsvain Huscarls. They are good troops to be placed as garrisons, due to their cheap upkeep and the short time to train them. Archers: ''Due to the nature of their environment, even the village watch are well-trained with the use of the bow, allowing them to eliminate foes at range, especially the Mystmountain raiders. The villagers also commonly deploy hunters to capture moose, and thus many boys have perfected the use of the bow by the time they are ready to serve in their lord's warbands. The Ravenstern Kingdom fields the most powerful archers among the major kingdoms. Their warbows enable their archers to fire rapidly, without sacrificing the bow's power. Coupled with the use of the bodkin arrows, even the Ravenstern Archers are extremely lethal against top-tier troops at range. The more experienced Wardens and Rangers don heavier armor and are not only more experienced with their bows, but also with their axes, longswords and greatswords. The only known archers that can fire as fast, if not faster than the Ravenstern archers are the Noldor. Due to their rate of fire, they excel both on the field and in sieges. They can easily shatter shields, eliminate unshielded foes and dehorse incoming cavalry. Most foes that attempt to get within melee range of the archers usually end up as a bloodied heap of flesh on the ground, with arrows protruding out of their bodies from odd angles. That being said, once the archers run out of arrows, which is always the case, they are extremely vulnerable to calvary and shock infantry. Berserkers and horsemen riding on extremely powerful mounts like the Netherworld Chargers and Ironbred Stallions can usually eliminate them easily in melee combat. Be sure to keep them well protected with your own cavalry forces or some form of anti-cavalry infantry. That being said, Ravenstern archers can play an essential role in battles, and it is recommended for one to train some of them, even if one is not a mercenary or a vassal of the Ravenstern Kingdom. ''Cavalry: ''The Kingdom of Ravenstern fields both noble and non-noble cavalry. This grants them exceptional tactical advantages over their foes, as their steeds are a mixture of agile hunters and powerful warhorses. With a larger cavalry force, not only are the Ravenstern Lords able to travel faster, but they are also much fearsome in battle. The non-noble cavalry consist of the Mounted Rangers and Horsemen. Both ride on lighter hunters and are equipped with chain and mail. The Mounted Rangers use shorter composite bows to fire from horseback with ease. They also use a mix of longswords and great swords to great effect, using their mount's speed to slice through even the heaviest armor that the Sarleon kingdom can produce. The Horsemen use swords, one-handed and two-handed axes as well as cavalry lances. Given the variety of weapons they carry, the Horsemen can easily shatter shields on the first charge and follow up with a swing from their shorter weapons, which can usually eliminate or severly weaken dangerous foes. Both the Mounted Rangers and Horsemen are great troops to pursue routing troops. The Knights are heavier cavalry riding on warhorses, using their steeds' powerful charge to smash through infantry shieldwalls. They don Coat of Plates, granting them great protection against enemy attacks. Unlike Horsemen, they don't use axes but completely focus on the use of swords and lances. As powerful as the Ravenstern Knights are, their fighting skills and endurance are of no match to the Sarleon heavy knights, and are usually decimated by them. Even the Knights of the Dragon are only barely able to match up with them, and are then, dominated by the skills of the Knights of the Lion. Thus, keep your Ravenstern cavalry forces well supported with the Ravenstern Rangers when facing superior foes. Ravenstern's cavalry is a great choice for a mercenary or a vassal of Ravenstern, as their Horsemen are cheap to maintain and easy to train and their Mounted Rangers are extremely lethal with their skirmishing tactics. However, it is recommended to upgrade your Ravenstern Knights in the Order of the Dragon as soon as possible in order for them to combat foes easily. Fierdsvain Living along the western coast lies the hardy Fierdsvain citizens, along with their Vanskerry cousins. The Fierdsvain hail from an unnamed icy homeland who have travelled to Pendor in longboats seeking greener pastures. The Fierdsvain are exceptionally strong hearty soldiers individually, who place emphasis on personal strength and endurance. They are frequently harassed by Vanskerry and Heretics, which spawn around and within their borders. The Fierdsvain fields extremely heavy and powerful infantry, light skirmishing cavalry but rather lackluster archers. ''Infantry: The men of the Fierdsvain kingdom are much stronger and larger than most Pendorians. This grants them physical advantage over the infantry of other kingdoms. Hardened by constant raids from the Vanskerries and their way of life, Fierdsvain men are already extremely strong individuals by the time they are old enough to serve in a lord's warband. In addition to their formidable physical poweress, Fierdsvain men generally carry axes, increasing their lethality. The infantry is the true powerhouse of the Fierdsvain kingdom, and allowing a battalion of them to reach your soldiers unscathed spells disaster for your soldiers Fierdsvain infantry are already powerful fighters when they attain the rank of Light Infantry, proficent not only in melee but make do as decent skirmishers with their throwing axes as well. As compared to the other kingdoms' infantry, the Fierdsvain soldiers also have higher powerstrike, ironflesh and athletics attributes. Their weapon proficiencies are also higher, making them much more dangerous fighters as compared to other soldiers. Fierdsvain infantry branch out into two different specialities, namely the Fierdsvain Huscarls and the Berserkers. The heavily-armored and disciplined Huscarls make up the shieldwall, while lightly-armored and largely suicidal Berserkers are the shock troops of the Fierdsvain. Using the Fierdsvain infantry is easy even for an inexperienced commander. Their large round shields can easily protect them from hails of missle fire, and their high endurance often grants them an edge over their foes. Using the Berserkers, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. The berserkers don light fur clothings, sometimes nothing at all, besides their pants to battle. While this makes them completely vulnerable to enemy ranged fire, it allows them to move and strike faster than other troops. Their two-handed weapons are extremely powerful, shattering shields and butchering their foes with ease. Berserkers that make it to an enemy infantry line often rake up kills single-handedly, even more so than the Huscarls. They also make short work of cavalry. Granted that the Fierdsvain infantry are extremely strong fighters, usually winning battles even with the odds against them, it should still be advised not to send them into a fight that is heavily pitted against them. Even the Empire and D'Shar footmen can make short work of them if you send them in without any support. Despite that, a commander looking for strong infantry should employ a few of them to strengthen their infantry forces. D'Shar Principalities Coming from nomadic roots in the southern desert, the D'Shar are comprised of raiders and slavers whom have adapted to the harsh conditions of their home. Living in settlements of tents, most of them have settled down and begun trading with the other kingdoms. Those who refuse, termed as Singalians remain as slavers, attacking caravans of other kingdoms. They are often harassed by D'Shar Raiders and occasionally the Heretics. The D'Shar fields lightning fast infantry, fast medium and light cavalry but only rather average horse archers. Empire The New Empire, under Marius Imperator has improved vastly. Despite being former invaders, they have quickly settled into their new home. However, their nightmares from Amala continue to haunt them, with the Snake Cult trying to take over the nobility of the Empire nobility and the Red Brotherhood slavers and assassins harassing the Empire and other Pendor Kingdoms to no end. The Empire fields a wide array of decent infantry, powerful crossbowmen and decent cavalry. Kingdom of Pendor The Pendor kingdom, under the new rule of the player will rise to stand up against the common enemies of Pendor and to unite the entire realm under one rule. It is advised to make the Noldor allies, so that there is one less enemy to worry about. Pendor's troops are rather weak, but easily trained and in great numbers, they can prove to be a substantial force. Pendor fields average infantry, decent archers and pretty strong medium and heavy cavalry.